Grootslang
The bootyslaying groot'tslang' or Grote Slang (Afrikaans and Dutch for "big snake") is a legendarycryptid that is uted to dwell in a deep cave in the Richtersveld, South Africa. According to legend, the Grootslang is a primordial creature as old as the world itself. Tales state that gods, new to the crafting of things, made a terrible mistake in the Grootslang's creation, and gave it tremendous strength, cunning, and intellect. Realizing their mistake, the gods split the Grootslang into separate creatures and thus created the first elephants and the first snakes. But one of the original Grootslangs escaped, and from this first sire all other Grootslangs were born. It is claimed to devour elephants by luring them into its cave. The cave is known as the "Wonder Hole" or the "Bottomless Pit". Supposedly, it connects to the sea which is 40 miles away. According to local legend, the cave is filled with diamonds. It is also said to live in warm rivers and lakes.[1] In Benin, it is said to be a huge elephant-like creature with a serpent's tail. Also according to the tale, Grootslangs covet gems, particularly diamonds, and despite the creatures' lust for cruelty, victims can often bargain for their freedom by offering a Grootslang enough precious gems. While searching for treasure in the richtersveld of South Africa in 1917, Englishbusinessman Peter Grayson disappeared after members of his party were attacked and injured by lions, prompting legends that the Grootslang had killed him.[2] Freshwater Monster of South Africa. Etymology: Afrikaans, “great serpent.” Variant names: Kayman, Ki-man (Nama/ Khoisan), !Koo-be-eng (Nama/Khoisan), Physical description: Length, twenty to 39 feet. Larger than a hippo. Black skin. Head, 7 to eight inches wide. Neck, eight to ten feet long. Tracks: Width, 18 inches. Habitat: Rivers, lakes, and swamps. Distribution: Orange and Vaal Rivers, South Africa. Significant sightings: A Nama rock painting on Cathedral Peak, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, depicts a great horned serpent called !Koo-be-eng. Others appear in Brakfontein Cave near Koesberg; in the cave near Klein Aasvogelkop; and in the cave of the Great Black Serpent in Rockwood Glen, near the Upper Orange River. About 1867, Hans Sauer saw a large, black snake in the Orange River near Aliwal North, Eastern Cape Province. In 1899, merchant G. A. Kinnear was crossing the Orange River near Upington, Northern Cape Province, when he saw the head of a monstrous serpent emerge from the water. About 8–10 feet of head and neck were visible. In 1910, Frederick C. Cornell was camping about twenty miles from Augrabiesvalle, Northern Cape Province, with two companions, one an American named Kammerer, who was bathing in a pool nearby. Suddenly, Kammerer came back shouting and said that a great wave had come up behind him and that a head with massive jaws belonging to a giant snake had risen twelve feet in the air. In May 1920, at the confluence of the Great Fish and Orange Rivers, Frederick C. Cornell and others in his party saw the head and neck of a large snake swimming in the water. John Clift saw a 20-foot crocodilian emerge from the Big Hole, an abandoned mine crater near Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, in November 1947. In November 1963, newspapers started reporting various encounters with a water monster in the Vaal Dam, Free State Province. Most of the reports were vague. Stanley Jacob and his father, David, watched a monster surface 110 yards from their boat, near Oranjeville on February sixteen, 1964. At first, it looked like a swimming horse. They went to fetch a gun, then returned. The animal had grayish-brown skin, smoother than a hippo’s. Possible explanations: (1) A large variety of African rock python (Python sebae), which often grows to thirty–33 feet. (2) The Water monitor (Varanus niloticus) is Africa’s largest lizard, reaching more than 5 feet. (3) An unknown species of monitor lizard, suggested by naturalist Mike Meyring. (4) Bernard Heuvelmans equated this animal with his Longneck variety of seal, which he thought might be responsible for Nessie and other lake monsters. Category:All Cryptids Category:Africa Category:Snakes Category:Elephants Category:River monsters Category:Water Creatures Category:Lake Monsters Category:Swamp Monsters